What do you think of first when Africa is mentioned?

Question

I'm interested in knowing people's impressions of Africa and where those impressions come from.

Answer 1

good food, neighborly and friendly people,dangerous roads which makes life not so much taken for granted,moonlight and moonlight gatherings,no electricity which means I get to sleep outside sometimes and on the floor,showing up at someone's house without making an appointment or making a date with the person,food being forced down my throat sometimes literally,no boredom,walking everywhere,walking for miles without being bored,being spontaneous with friends because no matter what,they'll always have the time,staying out really late without worrying about my safety,beating the heck out of someone and being in fights without legal repercussions, having the person I beat the heck out of being my friend because he/she knows I'll come in useful if they ever get in an argument or a fight or just because we knocked the heck out of each other, eating natural food not tainted with hormones,fertilized and food harvested at the time it's supposed to be harvested. chasing around chickens for the fun of it,chasing around goats for the heck of it,hunting forest animals like squirrels,going to the farm and getting down and dirty with the earth and the soil, sleeping in church,hitch hiking without worrying abt my safety and getting the chance to beat the heck out of the driver if he lays his hands on me,being able to survive without being dependent on technology,living in boarding schools,church being meaningful,walking to school at 7am in the morning,being locked out of said school when late by 5 minutes,being prefect(class president) of said school, splashing around in the rain and not have people think I'm crazy,hanging out at the local store when I have nothing else to do,walking to places just for the fun of it,babysitting the neighborhood kids without the parents asking me to, acting the big sister to the same kids and having the implied consent of the parents to give the kids hell when they mess up. Having those kids come see me whenever I come back from boarding school on holidays,not having to work during summer, asking to go to boarding school because everyone I know goes to one,competing for grades and bragging abt it when I am the best student out of more than 300 students,the hierachy of the society,kids actually obeying their parents and doing chores,siblings knowing their order in the hierachy of the family and respecting the older ones,showing up for vacation at a relative's house without telling them first,having a huge extended family who is very involved in each other's lives to the point of being nosy and obnoxious and everyone actually okay with it,30 grandchildren living in one huge house and thrashing it,sharing my room with two-three people and LOVING IT,the constant company, the fact that I can be blunt with someone and hurt their feelings with my criticism and they being ok with it, the fact that people accept responsibility for their actions and don't have to resort to lawsuits to avoid taking responsibility for their actions,the fact that most of the people are content with what they have,adults seeking out their babysitters to thank them for helping raise them,thinking of my cousins and relatives as my biological siblings,being taught to cook as soon as I could talk coherently(I started cooking when I was 6) being taught by my mom that it was ok to wait till marriage before I did anything,being taught how to fight and defend myself by my brothers,not being praised for every little thing and not being coddled and basically being "neglected" by my family(yet I never ran away or tried to),seeing my parents mostly a total of three months out of the year and only when on holidays,raising hell in school and being dealt with,no grounding since I was smart enough not to do something stupid,mandatory study periods in school,waking up at 4am to get ready forprayers before classes every day,having sleepovers with guys with my parents being ok with it and nothing happening to me,being able to drink or smoke without an age limit(I never did though),living with my parents till whenever I want to move out and not being thrown out when I turned 18,always having cooked food in the house at any time of the day,having my grandparents over for visits,being disciplined without it being called child abuse,going to the stream(i forgot that one),riding the bus system(the most dangerous thing ever,I think),trying to cross the road without getting hit and juggling a bunch of kids while doing so,having parents and family friends force their kid on you because you are the kid's senior in school and looking out for said kid,being screamed at by MY parents and the kid's parent if I ignore said kid....

The dangers,the passion,the friendliness,the pace of life,EVERYTHING ABT AFRICA AND MY COUNTRY IS SOMETHING I CHERISH AND WON'T GIVE UP FOR ANYTHING!

Answer 2

I think of the wonderful smiling people . The smell in the air of woodsmoke and flowers . Africa is like no other place on earth . The needs there are great , but the people carry on . Life is hard there but people don't give up . I have been to Africa and my impression of it is that a lot could be done to help the people of Africa but a lot can be learned from them as well . I could talk about Africa forever because I love Africa . My impressions come from first hand experience and I feel no one has a right to criticise a place they have never been to . I think everyone should visit africa because it changes your perspective of everything . the african way of life is less stressful because most things can't be done quickly . Once you've been there you understand and I think then you always carry a piece of Africa with you .

Answer 3

I think Africa is a beautiful country with great people, but it's overshadowed by the war, violence, disease, starvation, heat and poor climate in some areas, that's what I think about when I hear of Africa. I think of thousands of people dying everyday because rich governments in Europe or America aren't able to give more money because of some stupid unnecessary war or because they're too busy giving the money to some huge corporation or something.

Answer 4

I think of the freedom of wild animals. When I watch the National Geographic or the Animal Planet channel I sometimes see them in Africa taping the lives of wild animals. It's cool to see animals in the wild. Like when I see their lions. I only get to see them in real life in a zoo. Trapped behind a cage.

P.S I am not trying to be politically correct. Most of the host and camera men for the African Animal shows are white! Why do I have to think of black people? They may be the majority but white people live there too!!

Answer 5

tanzania ive got an acqauintance from there so ive read up on it and im hip to the serangetti and the rift valley and the falls and the lakes and the areas around the central plains and the ivory coast with the wars and the south and i know about the arab trade routes that linked the slave trades and the imperialists period im saddened by the wars that continue today and the tribal and religious violance in a lot of places God Bless Africa

Answer 6

A continent with a vast array of cultures rich in so many things even untouched to this day..with so much to offer the planet if the right approach is taken.My impressions are from the many people I have met from the continent that have shared their journeys with me and the zest for life they have under some unbearable circumstances.

Answer 7

I'm afraid my first thought is "AIDS". It has had such a huge impact on the whole continent and the world as a whole. It started in Africa and has become linked with the country forever.

Answer 8

A continent rich in everything, vast culture, natural resources,good climatic conditions, you name it. Would have been the best place to live in the world if it was not infiltrated by the west, bringing in corruption, provoking all types of wars,pouring in weapons letting the people to kill one another while they are busy exploiting the resources of the continent and taking them out without controle.

Answer 9

Injustice. The rest of the world don't care about Africa.

Answer 10

I get a mental picture of the map of Africa, then I think of the animals there.

Answer 11

Lions